It is the terminus of an abandoned 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge railway project which supporters cited as the most practical railway route through the Andes to Argentina, but which lacks a link between Lonquimay and Zapala in Argentina; revival of the project was announced in 2005 and progress begun within Chile.

According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Lonquimay spans an area of 3,914.2 km2 (1,511 sq mi) and has 10,237 inhabitants (5,414 men and 4,823 women).

[3] As a commune, Lonquimay is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council, headed by an alcalde who is directly elected every four years.

The commune is represented in the Senate by Alberto Espina Otero (RN) and Jaime Quintana Leal (PPD) as part of the 14th senatorial constituency (Araucanía-North).

This climate favors winter sports,[citation needed] and at the foot of the Lonquimay is The Corralco Mountain and Ski Resort.